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Unit of study_
PUBH5125: Environmental Epidemiology
2024 unit information
Environmental epidemiology studies the effects of hazards in the environment on health and wellbeing in the human population. The unit takes an eco-social approach and broadly defines the environment as anything external to the person including the physical, social, psychological and aesthetic environment and their interactions. Building on students own knowledge of the environment and environmental hazards related to air, water, soil, climate, and the built environment the unit will cover study designs and methods of exposure assessment and statistical analysis used to assess environmental health risks. This unit will provide students with a practical understanding of the research methods used to assess the exposure-response relationship between environmental hazards and health outcomes. Students will be introduced to data analysis and visualisation skills and software including spatial data involving Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, as well as statistical analysis of environmental exposures and health outcomes using the R Statistical Software. While the unit has a quantitative data focus it does not require high level technical skills as the aim is to give students a conceptual understanding of environmental epidemiology. The unit will also explore future directions in the field of environmental epidemiology and students will also learn about the importance of environmental epidemiology to the Planetary Health framework for assessing global environmental health risks and impacts under a changing climate.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Public Health
| Code | PUBH5125 |
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| Academic unit | Public Health |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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PUBH5010 or CEPI5100 or BSTA5011 |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Describe and apply the principles of environmental epidemiology to the assessment of health risks from environmental hazards
- LO2. Describe and apply epidemiological study designs relevant to environmental hazards including those not frequently used in other epidemiological fields (eg: clinical epidemiology)
- LO3. Apply the principles of environmental exposure assessment as they relate to individuals and populations incorporating spatial and / or temporal variation in exposure to environmental hazards.
- LO4. Identify sources of measurement error in exposure, health outcomes and confounders, describe methods for minimising bias and appreciate the implications of these issues for environmental epidemiological analyses and interpretation of study results.
- LO5. Identify and critically appraise environmental epidemiological literature on potential environmental hazards to health
- LO6. Appreciate the importance of different subdisciplines in environmental epidemiology (eg: exposure science, epidemiology, toxicology, and risk assessment) and potential career opportunities
Unit availability
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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